No contract, no data limit: T-Mobile launches new 4G plan

Emma Woollacott, 9th January 2013

T-Mobile has launched an unlimited, no-contract 4G data plan for $70 per month, allowing pre-pay customers to take advantage for the first time.

A similar option has been available to contract customers, and the company says it's been by far the most popular, chosen by 46 percent of new customers last month. To kick off the new deal, T-Mobile is offering the LG Optimus L9 for $199.99.

"We’re directly confronting the frustrations of American consumers fed up with the cost, complexity and congested networks of our competitors," says John Legere, president and CEO of T-Mobile USA.

"Our Unlimited 4G Data plan means 4G speeds, no caps and no overages on a smoking-fast, nationwide, 4G network. What this means is simply that T-Mobile customers are going to be able to enjoy everything a 4G smartphone is actually designed to do without limits and without a term contract."

The move should give T-Mobile quite a boost, trailing as it has been behind Verizon and AT&T when it comes to LTE. But, says Legere, the company's planning to get its new network rolled out by the end of this year. He says HSPA+42 is already faster than either competitor in New York at least: indeed, he described AT&T's network as 'crap'.

T-Mobile's also introduced a new program, 4G Connect, through whcih notebook, tablet and ultrabook manufacturers will integrate support for T-Mobile's data network.

First to sign up are Dell, with the Inspiron 14z, and HP with the Pavilion dm1. Customers will get 200 megabytes of free T-Mobile data monthly for between 12 and 24 months. After that, monthly data passes start at $10 per gigabyte.

T-Mobile's also announced that it plans to bring HD Voice to its network in order to improve call quality.